First I wish to say how helpful I have found the sites and information
supplied
MANY thanks to those who put the information freely available to us and all
the hard work it entails

I am working on pre Revolution families in Boston who were Loyalists and I
have been given many good leads, and even 'some finds'
They were extremely rich merchants who were worked as agents for the British
Govt;

The main family is APTHORP[e] with Charles arriving early part of 1700.
This man fathered 18 children, of whom, 15 married. So they 'family names'
are prolific.
His g/son was Charles Bulfinch - architect.
Other surnames are McEvers, Bayard, Trecothick, Bulfinch, Wentworth,
Shirley. Hutchinson
I have recently visited Kings Chapel in Boston and seen the Monuments there

An un answered question is
Who was Thomas Apthorp who is stated the be the father of Andrew and Thomas
born c 1768 ?

Facts
31.12.1769 Hannah Cardar -married Andrew Peltro at Marblehead.
1774- In the town book of Marblehead Hannah Peltro with husband Andrew
Peltro have children Mary Peltro born 1.7. 1770 and Hannah Peltro born 1.3.
1772,
the same entry records that Thomas Apthorp age 8 and Andrew Apthorp as
children of her '1st' marriage to Thomas Apthorp.
10.10.1836 Hannah Peltro died Marblehead -poor house age 94 [ I.e. born
1742]

This raises several issues
If she married as Hannah Cardar and not as Hannah Apthorp, was there in fact
a '1st marriage' or was it her just naming the father of her 2 children
Thomas & Andrew Apthorp?
Were these 2 children born in Marblehead?
Were did Andrew Peltro die?
Did he leave a will?

I have checked for all entries for Carda[e]r family and Peltro but nothing
has yet 'linked up' in Marblehead and various other nearby towns,

Anyone found this family as they disappear from Marblehead.?

I have references to some events in Chebacco Ipswich which may tie up with
some later marriages

Having asked some questions I fell that I ought to answer others
with reference to

......... Middle Names Before the American Revolution, it was against
English Common Law for commoners to have middle names.

This is not quite correct, there was no law against it, it was just not
common
practice, only the higher echelons used more than one [until around 1800]
It was how surnames developed, first just a forename until c14th C,
then forename plus place/ description/ or occupation
which later became 'surnames'.

In the pre Revolution period the system in America was mostly following the
"
mother country" ways
[1] Forename and surname
[2] If many of same surname in village then descriptive as well - i.e. John
Gilks the slater, or John Gilks - slat house, John Gilks cordwainer, John
Gilks of Sibford, John Gilks the elder or younger etc.
[3] If a child was born out of wedlock then the punitive father maybe
guessed as the child is named 'Gilks' Brown , or 'Sandiford Gilks'
[4] Gradually after 1700 in England the mothers surname or other relevant
surnames were used as forenames.
[5] Around 1800 the English began to adopt the use of second forenames and
soon it became usual for a child to have 2 forenames.
[6] the use of surnames as forenames became more usual [ very useful for
going backwards in tracing your tree]